George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
The Kyiv Independent's journalists Asami Terajima (L) and Anastasiia Lapatina (R.
The Kyiv Independent's journalists Anastasiia Lapatina and Asami Terajima received the "25 under 25: Young and Bold" media award for emerging media creators.
The 25 laureates of the prize were announced by the Media Development Foundation on Nov. 10.
The "25 under 25: Young and Bold" award was launched to highlight the activities of budding media makers and support them at the start of their careers.
The "25 under 25: Young and Bold" quoted Lapatina saying she is proud of her materials about Crimea and the Crimean Tatars, because, according to her observations, this topic is still not sufficiently covered.
She also believes it is important to address issues related to the Middle East.
"These topics, in particular everything related to Palestine and Israel, are very complex and important. Unfortunately, Ukrainian society understands little the context of these conflicts."
Lapatina is also the host of the Kyiv Independent's weekly video and audio podcast "This Week in Ukraine."
She was previously included in Forbes' 30 Under 30 list and Teen Vogue's annual 21 Under 21 list of changemakers, influencers, activists, and artists who have made a substantial impact in their communities and the world in 2022.
Terajima, who is the Kyiv Independent's war reporter, said: "I never thought I'd be a war journalist, but after the full-scale invasion, I realized I needed to be as close to the war as possible to cover it."
In every story she writes, Asami says she tries to spend as much time as possible with soldiers on the front lines and depict the real situation on the battlefield: "It is very important to know the reality of war - how much Ukraine is paying every day to defend our territory."
Asami previously won the Kurt Schork Award for International Journalism (in the "Local Reporter" category) and the George Weidenfeld Prizeawardedfor "excellent investigative and courageous research activities."
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Anastasiia Lapatina
